The Light overcomes the Darkness

Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

John 12:32-36 (NIVUK)

Jesus said, ³² And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.’ ³³ He said this to show the kind of death he was going to die.

³⁴ The crowd spoke up, ‘We have heard from the Law that the Messiah will remain for ever, so how can you say, “The Son of Man must be lifted up”? Who is this “Son of Man”?’

³⁵ Then Jesus told them, ‘You are going to have the light just a little while longer. Walk while you have the light, before darkness overtakes you. Whoever walks in the dark does not know where they are going. ³⁶ Believe in the light while you have the light, so that you may become children of light.’ When he had finished speaking, Jesus left and hid himself from them.

Let us pray: Lord, sanctify us in the truth; your Word is Truth. Amen.

The Light of Christ has come into the world. Do you believe it? Are you living in its radiance? You heard the Son of Man saying, ‘Believe in the light while you have the light, so that you may become children of light’ (Jn 12:36a). St Paul adds, ‘For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light’ (Eph 5:8).

I’ll ask you again: Do you believe that the Light of Christ has come into the world? Are you living in its radiance?

Is your response to the first question the same as mine? ‘I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!’ (Mk 9:24). Do you share my burden in the fact that there are times, and sometimes long stretches of time, in which the darkness has overtaken you? Overtaken your family? Overtaken your congregation? Overtaken your fellolwship? Overtaken your beloved church?

Brothers and sisters in Christ: if you share my burden in this season of doubt, remember that St John says to you and I, 'The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it' (Jn 1:5).

My fellow members of the body of Christ: Look to the Light! What on earth are you doing looking anywhere else? ³⁶ Believe in the light while you have the light, so that you may become children of light.’

Let's walk together in the light of Christ and take up his vision and make secure the hope he desires to grant us!

So many of us have a Paschal Candle within our church sanctuaries. Does it flicker aimlessly in our midst these days? Does it flicker aimlessly in the sanctuary at home? Has the light it emanates grown dull, so that we no longer notice its presence? It may be just another candle, distinctive only in its size, but can we afford to look past what it represents – the Light of Christ has come into the world. When can we afford to forget that our resurrected Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ stands in our midst? When can you or I afford to forget you we been baptized into our Lord’s death and resurrection? How many times have you said, or heard your pastoral assistants say, as they gift the newly baptized with a lit candle, “You are the light of the world. Let your light shine to the glory of God the Father” or “Because you belong to the Lord, you are in the light. So live as a child of the light?” I know that you believe it true for them. Do you believe it true for yourself, for the child of God sitting next to you in church, for the lapsed member constantly in your prayers?

Consider the Paschal Candle again and consider Jesus’ words’, ‘Believe in the light while you have the light, so that you may become children of light.’ Let’s work from the vantage point of our common human condition; that the Son of Man’s command is not being believed, ‘Believe in the light while you have the light, so that you may become children of light,’ and that something, therefore, has to change. Maybe we can do something practical to make the Light of Christ shine more brightly so that more people will see it and be drawn to it? After all Jesus said, ‘I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life’ (Jn 8:12).

So, can you think as to how we might increase the light output from the Paschal Candle? If it was a kerosene lamp, then all we need do is raise the wick to brighten its output. If it was an electric light with a dimmer wheel, then we could likewise turn it up to its maximum voltage. But a candle has only a single wick that has no means of being altered. Its very being is unchangeable, and any modifications we made to it would make it into something else: no longer a candle. We would therefore no longer be working with what we were given.

There are two ways that I know about, that can increase the lumen, that is, the brightness of a solitary candle without changing its essence.

The first is to get to know how a candle works. This would require some investigations into the chemistry of light and heat. After some research we would soon learn that the intensity of a flame is determined by what fuel is being burnt and how much oxygenated air is available in the equation. So, one way to get a brighter flame would be to saturate the air with oxygen. Alternatively, we may investigate as to what other types of wax provide a better fuel. But these two options require an addition, that is, more oxygen, or it requires changing to an alternate fuel.

But our challenge, since we can’t change what we have been given, is to make the candle burn more brightly as it is, without any changes. And as the light symbolizes Christ, we know that we can't change him from what he is, after all, 'Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever' (Heb 13:8). So we need to increase the impact of the light transmission without adding a catalyst or using a different fuel.

So how can we increase the light output from a solitary candle? Maybe the Bible might shed some light on the equation? And of course it does! For we don't have to read far to get an answer! The third verse of the Bible says, "And God said, 'Let there be light,' and there was light. God saw that the light was good, and he separated the light from the darkness" (Gen. 1:3-4). Here's our answer: God separated the light from the darkness.

So what would happen if we pulled down all the window blinds and turned off all the electric lights in the room, or church? Would a candle then burn more brightly? Well the answer is 'yes' and 'no.' We could say 'no', because the candle hasn't changed its output of light; it puts out as much light whether the blinds are up or down or the lights turned on or off. But the answer can be a 'yes.' And this 'yes' answer provides us with hope! For when we add darkness into the equation, one single candle can illuminate an entire church interior. Well, at least there would be enough light that you would not stumble in the dark! The flame's light and heat are greatest in the centimetres around the flame, but light travels far, even touching the furthest wall and floor and ceiling. It's just as Jesus says in Matthew 5:15, 'the light of the lamp gives light to everyone in the house.'

So the solution in how to increase the brightness of a candle is to add darkness: to surround it in darkness, even to try to smother it in darkness. And when you add more and more darkness an amazing thing happens, the light becomes brighter and brighter and brighter; not in essence but in its influence.

And that it how it is with Jesus, the Light of the world. "Jesus shines brighter, Jesus shines purer," as we sing in the hymn, no matter what other lights encircle him. His light is eternal, unchangeable, all powerful, all knowing, and present everywhere.

In the light of Christ, no wonder we need to confess our own darkness and the darkness that tries to smoother this world. Some of you may occasionally use the Approved Service that has in its Preparatory Rites the Confession petition, "Please do not leave us in darkness, but open our eyes to your Light." For the darkness of sin, death and the power of the devil have tried to smother and extinguish the Light of the world. But these powers do not know that as their darkness deepens, the Light of Christ shines more radiantly and more penetratingly into those dark depths, and as it does, it dispels the darkness more and more. You can boldly scoff at the dark powers because they will extinguish themselves the more they try to encircle and overpower the light of Christ that dwells in you by faith. When the darkness of Satan and the world deepens, the Light of Christ becomes even brighter. That's the nature of the darkness and the light!

St John says that, "No one has ever seen God, but God the One and Only, who is at the Father's side, has made him known" (Jn. 1:18). The church Father John Chrysostom said that "[The prophets saw] instances of God's epiphanies on earth, but they never saw God's Essence unveiled." He means that God veiled himself in a fire by night and a cloud by day, or in a burning bush and the like in his Old Testament epiphanies. God veiled himself in these ways because, as he said to Moses, "... you cannot see my face, for no one may see me and live" (Exodus 33:20). God's glory is a consuming fire (Exo. 24:17; Dt. 4:24; Heb. 12:29). He lives in unapproachable light (1 Tim. 6:16). You cannot approach him without there being a Mediator standing between.

But in the New Covenant, the dwelling of God with all his glory, and in all his radiance is in the flesh and blood Jesus of Nazareth (Jn. 1:14). When the disciple Philip asked for Jesus to show them the Father, Jesus responded, "Don't you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father" (Jn. 14:9). So it is as true for you as it is for all the Saints, that 'the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it’ (Jn 1:5).

All knowledge and revelation begin in darkness. Complete darkness is the only place to start to launch a discovery and it's the only place to be discovered. Laboratories are necessary for natural discoveries, but the Word of God is necessary for the darkness of your life to be made known to you. By grace alone you have been removed from the darkness of sin, death and the power of the devil into the light of Christ. St Paul said, "For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light...Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them" (Eph. 5:8-11).

As your brother in Christ, I can see your darkness as plain as the day, and no doubt, when you get to know me, you will soon see mine just as clearly. But our own eyes have that innate sensibility to immediately glance away or deliberately overlook our own deeds of darkness. But there is no escaping the eyes of God. King David knew the truth! In Psalm 139 he said, ‘If I say, ‘Surely the darkness will hide me

and the light become night around me,’

¹² even the darkness will not be dark to you;

the night will shine like the day,

for darkness is as light to you’ (Ps 139:11-12).

God finds us in the dark because, as Jesus has said, ‘This is the verdict: light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. ²⁰ Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed. ²¹ But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what they have done has been done in the sight of God’ (Jn. 3:19-21).

Fellow members of the body of Christ: the Light of Christ stands amongst us. The Paschal Candle burns brightly amongst us to remind us of that fact. Take you darkness to the Light. I dare you to try to extinguish the Light of Christ with your darkness. Bring your shadowy sins and surround it! Smoother it with your filth! Keep coming again and again to the Altar Rail to have that gloomy shadow that keeps following you exposed to the light. Keep returning to have the filth of your failures forgiven and experience the joy and peace of knowing that the Light of Christ has come into the world. For its joy and peace to know that the Father's unapproachable light is revealed to you through his Son, Jesus Christ. It's joy and peace to know that God who said, "Let light shine out of darkness," has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ" (2 Cor. 4:6). Its joy and peace to know that ‘you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness in to his wonderful light. Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy’ (1 Pet. 2:9-10).

Stand up and tell God’s chosen people, and those scared of the dark, that the Light of Christ exposes and dispels the darkness and brings life and immortality to light through the Gospel. Invite them all to the light so that their darkness may show the brilliance of the Jesus Christ: the Light of the world.

And the peace of God that passes all understanding keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.